gift that he doth give and the freeness of it For who can give life but the God of life that hath life in himself And then again to do this altogether upon meer grace upon his own good pleasure it is a divine property And this is it that doth encourage us to come unto God notwithstanding our unworthiness And in this respect in the second place we have here a Use of instruction to acquaint our selves with God with the freeness of his Grace to plead it unto God when we come unto him and notwithstanding our unworthiness and our wretchedness yet to press this Lord what thou dost thou dost for thy own sake out of thy meer grace this makes me bold to come unto thee Specially upon the consideration of that greatest evidence of Gods free grace and rich mercy in giving his Son to do whatsoever is requisite for the satisfaction of his Justice so that here Grace Justice do sweetly go together for the strengthening of our Faith Grace in regard of our unworthiness Justice in regard of our rebellion God doth what he doth for his own sake his own Son hath made full satisfaction to his Justice And finally this should the more enlarge the heart to God again a gift the freer it is the more worthy of praise it must needs be the more acceptable to him that receiveth it when he receiveth it from meer Grace and he that giveth it is thereby the more worthy of praise so that lay these two together life and the grace of life and then tell me what sufficient thanks can be given to him who out of his Grace doth bestow this life Thus from the priviledge in the second part thereof come we to the partakers of this priviledge And first of the simple consideration of it Heirs so that we come to a right unto that eternal life by inheritance as we are Heirs So do the Texts before-noted expresly set it forth We are justified by his grace that we should be heirs of eternal life Tit. 3.7 And Saint Paul giveth thanks to God for the Collossians that he had made them partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light And our Lord when he doth give us possession hereof inducts us thereunto with this inherit the Kingdom prepared for you Mat. 25.34 take it by inheritance here is your right Now we may not think that this ground of right to our eternal inheritance cometh by our natural generation for so we are heirs and children of wrath as the Apostle noteth in Eph. 2.3 It cannot come by nature for so it is Christs prerogative the true proper natural Son of God and thus as the Apostle faith God hath appointed him heir of all things Heb. 1.2 but it is by another grace whereby we are made children A double grace in this respect a grace of Adoption and a grace of Regeneration A grace of Adoption for God giveth to us the spirit of Adoption whereby we are moved to cry and call Abba Father and by this grace we are children and being children we are heirs Co-heirs not only one with another but as it is there noted heirs together with Christ Co-heirs with him by vertue of this grace of Adoption So likewise by the other grace of Regeneration we are qualified hereunto Saint Peter in his first Epistle chap. 1. verse 3. blesseth God Blessed be the God saith he and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to an inheritance incorruptible c. We are begotten to this inheritance This might again be pressed as a further Argument against the fore-mentioned presumptious Doctrine of Merit that that cometh by Inheritance cometh not by Desert But I pass it over This doth afford to us matter of consolation for this Text is full of consolation every word of it against the baseness whereunto in this world the Saints seem to be subject that are scoffed that are despised howsoever they appear here in mortal mans eye yet notwithstanding in truth they are Heirs they have an Inheritance And as it doth administer to us matter of comfort and a ground of holy boasting and glorying in the Lord so it affordeth to us direction to carry our selves as becometh Heirs not to set our love too much upon this world not to dote upon it but to be lofty minded to have our heart and affection where our inheritance is namely in Heaven to wait with patience for it Be followers of those saith the Apostle that through saith and patience inherit the promise And likewise to make sure to our selves our inheritance look to our evidences Give all diligence saith the Apostle to make your calling and election sure Do but make your Calling sure that you are truly and effectually called then it solloweth by just and necessary consequence you were elected before the foundations of the world and shall be saved Many other Meditations do arise out of this right we have to that life which by Grace is conferred upon us Consider we the extent hereof Heirs together joynt-heirs so as all of all sorts have a right to the life of Saints I speak here of outward conditions whether they be great or mean rich or poor free or bond whatsoever they be they have all a right they are joynt-heirs they are heirs together As it is with us in some places there is a title of Gavil kind that giveth a joynt-right to all the Sons that a man hath and so for Daughters all Daughters are co-heirs so this tenour is as I may say Gavil kind all have a right thereunto no exception of any because God is no respecter of persons This my Brethren serveth as an admonition to those that are great or may seem to be higher than others here in this world if they be Saints let them not despise others who are Saints too they are Co-heirs with them they are fellow-brethren there is not an elder Brother among them Christ only is the Elder Brother There may some have a greater degree of glory there may some have greater evidences thereof in this world and greater assurance yet not withstanding they have all a right to the inheritance they are all Co-heirs And this again is another comfort to the meaner and weaker sort that howsoever there may be some difference in regard of outward condition here yet notwithstanding in the greatest priviledge there is no difference at all and therefore to conclude concerning these and other consolations ministred to you I will use the Apostles words Comfort your selves with these things 1 Thes 4.18 And particularly concerning the Female Sex because the Apostle here applyeth it to them and saith of them as well as of men that they are Heirs Co-heirs of the same inheritance this therefore is to be applyed to them for when the Apostle makes distinction of outward conditions in Gal. 3.28
but when he doth not use it in the service and for the glory of the Creator God hath given the creature a beeing for himself I have forfeited my beeing when I glorifie not God with it that man forfeiteth his wit his memory his strength his time his life and all that he is or hath when he doth not imploy them in Gods service to Gods glory Now sin is that that makes us deny the service and glory we owe to God sin is that that makes a forfeiture of our lives and all unto him Here is the first thing God hath given the creature a beeing for himself he preserveth the creature in beeing for himselfe when the creature therefore sinneth it forfeiteth its life and beeing to the Creator This makes sin odious Secondly this is it that declareth the wonderful justice and truth of God He said to Adam in the beginning assoon as ever he had fallen he should die and we find it true on him and all his posterity for Adam stood and represented the person of all men before God that one man was all men in him all men were under the sentence of death And we see it is true to this day We find God true in this let this make us beleeve his word in every thing else He hath been as good as his word he hath declared his justice and his truth in the death of all man-kind upon the sin of Adam he will declare it in every thing else in every promise in every threatning in every passage of his word let us give him the glory of his truth as we find it in this Thirdly it is advantagious very much for our selves as a means to prepare us for death the better When a man seriously concludeth Death is the end of all men then if I reckon and account my self amongst men it will be my end too and it may be my end now And we shall see what use Job makes of this All the dayes of my appointed time I will wait till my change shall come I make account a great change shall come such as hath been upon all my fathers before me so it will come upon me I will make account of it and therefore I will wait all my dayes So should we make account every day that this may be the day of my change in every thing you do make account that your change may begin then in that very action and this will be a means to make you wait for your change make you prepare for death It is that that Drusius noteth of Rabbi Eleazer that he gave his counsel and advice that a man should be sure to repent one day before he died He meant not that a man should defer his repentance till it did evidently that Death had seized upon him But because a man may conclude if it be possible I may live to day it is probable I may die to morrow therefore I will repent to day Do it now and do not delay it till to morrow This is that we are to do to account of every day as that which may be the day of our change and so to carry our selves in all our actions and occasions as if we should have no more time to do our work And this is especially to be observed in three things First in matter of sinning be careful to amend sin every day labour to mortifie sin this day as if thou shouldest have no more dayes to mortifie it in take heed of sinning now as if thou shouldest die now Some we see have been taken away in the very act of sin Ananias and Saphirah were taken away in the very act of sinning when they were telling a lie to the Apostle they died Zimri and Cosbie were slain in the very act of uncleannesse Corah and his company they died in the act of murmuring and resisting of God and his ordinances and ministers Let a man now reason with himself these were taken away in their sins it may be my case as well as theirs if I be found in sin That is the first Secondly bring it home to this particular also in another case and that is in redeeming of the opportunities of the time of our life Besides the general time of life there be certain opportunities certain advantages of time that the Scripture calleth seasons be careful to redeem them though you may enjoy your lives yet you may have none of these such as are seasons of glorifying God seasons of doing good seasons of gaining good to a mans self be careful therefore I say to mannage those opportunities and advantages of time so that you may glorifie God Whether you eat or drink or what soever you do do all to the glory of God Which way soever you may most advance Gods glory and pormote his worship which way soever ye may promote the cause of God drawing men to God and incouraging them in the wayes of God which way soever you may be useful employ your self at that time the present time because you must die and you may die now you may have no more opportunities to do it in And so likewise in all advantages wherein men may do good to men Exhort one another while it is called to day and while you have time do good unto all Do all the spiritual good and all the outward good that you can while you have seasons to do good Happy is that servant that his master shall find so doing when he cometh leading a fruitful and profitable life So do good to your own souls while you have time pray while you have time to pray hear the Word while you have time to hear it exercise repentance while you have time to repent perfect the work of mortification while you have time to mortifie your corruptions do your souls all the good you can by the advantages of all the ordinances of all the opportunities that God hath given you This is the end of all men it hath been the end of good and bad before and it shall be the end of good and bad now men must die their houses will be houses of mourning therefore mannage the time in doing all the good you can that God may be glorified men may be benefited and your own souls furthered that is the second thing Lastly in the manner of your conversation consider the time that you have to do every thing in Will a man be found idleing in the market-place when he should be working in the Vineyard Would you be feasting when God would have you mourning you shall see some that have been taken away when they little thought of it Belshazzer he was in his feasts and then cometh the sentence of death against him and other the like examples you may see in the Scripture Consider therefore the particular actions that you doe whether they be such as hold agreement with the state of a dying man So for the manner
not but this I am sure of that there have been too many unkind passages where the fault is your selves know But this is to be taken into consideration that God removeth them from ye as if ye were worthy of none If God send us these helps and Lampes that waste themselves to shine to us and to break and dispence to us the bread of life shall we not give them incouragement in their studies that they may go on quietly and peaceably A word is enough for that Howsoever some of ye would not suffer him to rest God hath taken him to his rest There is more might be said but I will not say too much For the other since I came from my house I had information at my first footing in the Parish they said she was as good a woman as lived At my first footing in the house they said she was a very good woman Those that have lived in the Parish they testifie that she was a woman most eminent for her piety and vertue Shall she want a memorial I asked of those that have known her of old they say she was a righteous woman for the righteousness of piety and a merciful woman for the righteonsness of mercy She had respect to both tables to her duty to God to her Neighbour For the mercy of charity she was good to the poor she was a lender to those that were in necessity and a giver too For the mercy of piety she was very compassionate to those that were in afflictions she sympathized with them visited them and comforted them For the mercy of peace in time of contention she laboured to set all strait she had a soft answer co pacifie wrath She was a merciful woman and God hath given her the reward hath took her to his rest She was a lover of peace he hath taken her to the place of peace She was one hat studied happiness and he hath taken her to a place of happiness He hath took her from these evils that we are reserved to and that we may fear That is the difference between a godly and an impenitent man Impenitent men if they be took away they are taken to further evill if they be left alive they are left to further evil Merciful men if they be took away they are taken away for the eschewing of evil and if they be left on the earth it is for the diverting of evil They divert them while they live and shun them when they die As they labour to honour God in their lives so God gratifieth them in their death he takes them to himself This consideration and occasion is a proof of the Text. As it is proved in all the Text let us disprove it in our selves that this word may never go in the course it lieth here but in a contrary course That righteous men perish and men do lay it to heart let it be said so and merciful men though they be took away yet there are those that take it into consideration I have done with the last part and with the occasion THE GOOD MANS EPITAPH OR THE HAPPINESSE OF Those that Die VVell SERMON IX REVBLAT 14.13 I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hence forth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them THE Scripture will afford us many Texts for Funerals Me thinks there is none more fit nor more ordinarily preached on than two and they are both of them voices from heaven One was to Isaiah the Prophet He was commanded to crie The voyce said Cry And be said What shall I cry All flesh is grasse and all the goodness thereof is as the flower of the field You will say That is a fit Text indeed So is this here A voyce from heaven too But Saint John is not commanded to cry it as Isaiah was he is commanded to write it That that is written is for the more assurance It seemeth good to me faith Saint Luke in his preface to his Gospel Most excellent Theophilus to write to thee of these things in order that thou mightest know the certainty c. It did not please God for many generatious to teach his Church by writing The Fathers before the flood he did not teach by writing They lived long their memory served them instead of books and they had now and then some Divine revelations They needed no writing But after that the dayes of man grew short as they did in the time of Moses the man of God the dayes of our years are threescore years and ten then I say when the dayes of man came thus to be shortned it pleased God to teach his Church by writing And although the whole will of God all things necessary to solvation be written yet God did appoint some special things above all others to be written some passages of divide truths As that same history of the foil of Amalek in the wilderness Scribehoc ad monumentum saith God to Moses write this for a memorial in a book So God commandeth Isaiah to take to himself a great roul and to write in it with a mans pen. So to Exekiel Son of man write thee the name of the day even of this same day the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day And Saint John to go no further though he was commanded to write this whole Epistle and all the Visions he saw yet there is some special thing that God in a more special manner would have him to write And here is one Write this same voyce this 〈◊〉 that came down from heaven write it Though that writing addeth nothing to the Authority of the Word For the word of God is the same Word and is as well to be obeyed and as well to be beleeved when it is delivered by tradition as when it is by writing yet notwithstanding we are to blesse God that we have it written How many Divine truths have been turned into lies And how many divine Histories have been turned into fables when things have been delivered by tradition from hand to hand and from man to man Tradition was never so safe a preserver of Divine truths We are to thank God I say for the whole Scripture for every part of it for whatsoever is written is written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope But what comfortable thing is this that here Saint John is commanded to write Write what Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord so saith the spirit they rest from their labours and their works follow them In the which you have five things First you have a Proposition Dead men are blessed Blessed are the dead Now because this is not generally true therefore Secondly you have a Restriction all Dead men are not blessed But who are blessed then
they that die in the Lord. There is the Restriction Thirdly you have the Time from whence this blessedness beginneeh From henceforth blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Fourthly you have the Particulars wherein this blessedness consists It is in a Relaxation of their labours and a Retribution of their works they rest from their labours and their works follow them Lastly you have a Confirmation of all this It is confirmed first by a voyce from heaven A voyce from heaven said write And then it is confirmed by te Spirit of God Even so saith the spirit they rest from their labours You must not look that in this shortness of time I should go through all these And I do not intend it It may be only the first and second I pray let me take some time to speak of the occasion of our meeting I would do all within the hour I begin with the first Dead men are blessed Blessed are the dead Blessedness is a thing that every man desireth He is no man but a monster that would live wretchedly Every man desireth to be blessed But that thing which we all desire in common when it cometh to be determined most men mistake it Some place blessedness in riches And some place it in honours Some place it in pleasures And some place it in health of body And some place it in civil vertues What need I tell you more S. Austin in his 19. book DeCivitate Dei telleth us of no fewer then two hundred fourscore and eight several places of blessedness All determined in this life To let them passe Blessedness consisteth in the enjoying of the soveraign good That same soveraign good is God We enjoy God both in this life and in the life to come From hence there is a double Blessedness Distinguish them as you will Whether you call one Beatudo vioe the other Beatudo patrioe as some do The Blessedness of the way and the Blessedness of the Country Or whether you call one Beatudo spei the other Beatudo rei The Blessedness of expectation or the blessedness of fruition Or whether you call them as usually you do The Blessedness of Grace here and the Blessedness of Glory hereer It mattereth not in what terms yon distinguish them but so we know this have one and you are sure of both There is none have the Blessedness of Glory but such as were first Blessed in the state of Grace And there is none Blessed in a state of Grace but shall be Blessed in the state of Glory There is a threefold condition of a Blessed soul It is here in the body as long as God pleaseth But then it is from the Lord. It is with the Lord but then it is from the Body There is a third Condition when it shall be in the body again and with the Lord for ever Then is the full consumation of blisse when this same body of ours shall be raised up and made like the glorious body of Jesus Christ But our Blessedness in this life though we have here a comfortable fellowship with God yet because that it is not per speciem it is not by sight it is but by faith we walk by faith and not by sight Because while we are here though we do see the face of God in the Mirrour or glass of the Gospel yet because we are absent from him as he is objectum Beatificans Because here the tears are not all wiped from our eyes and we have not yet a full rest from our labours nor a full reward for our services Therefore our Blessedness here it is nothing to speak of in comparison of that Blessedness which we shall have hereafter when the soul is separated from the body and is with the Lord. Therefore saith the Apostle I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ and this quoth he it is melius it is better Better Yea it is multo melius it is much better Yea it is multo mag is melius you must bear with Saint Pauls incongruity of speech it is much more better to be with him If our hope were only in this life of all men beleevers the children of God were most miserable But the hope of our immortal life is the life of this mortal There was some little glimpse of this light even amongst the Gentiles such as did beleeve the immortality of the soul One of the heathen Poets could say No man is blessed till death Cressus the Lybian a man happy in his great achievements asked Solon Pray quoth he tell me what man dost thou think happy He named one to him Tellus a man that was dead But quoth he whom else dost thou think haypy He named two btethren more that did a worke of piety to their Mother it were too long to tell you the particular story and they were dead I think them happy quoth he Cressus began to be angry that he himself should not be thought a happy man Am not I happy Oh quoth he I take thee for a great King but I accont thee not happy before death Cressus grew to misery and then he cried out Oh Solon Solon c. Here we have a word a voyce from heaven and the Word confirmed by the Spirit and we have testimonies of Scripture and we have some little glimpse of this light from the Gentiles yet notwithstanding flesh and bloud will not be perswaded of this that dead men should be happy that there is a happinesse in death There are many things they have against it First say they Death is an enemy It is very true Death is is an enemy the Apostle calleth it so The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death And say they it is a terrible enemy It is very true and of all terrible things the most terrible yea and nature abhorreth it exceedingly See it in any creature that liveth Mark if every creature would not use leggs wings hoofs horns tusks beaks or whatsoever thing it is wherewith God and nature hath armed it to preserve life Solomon saith it but he saith it in the person of a carnal man as he doth many things by Metaphors in his book of Ecclesiastes That a living dogg is better then a dead lyon Sathan is a lyar and the father of lies but yet notwithstanding that word of his was a truth Skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life Vita dum super est benè est said Moecenas when he lay grievously sick of the Gout So long as life remains it is well enough You have one man that liveth in extream poverty eateth no bread but the bread of affliction yet he would live You have another man that carrieth about him a diseased body the arrows of God sticking fast in him and the venome of them drinking up his spirits by some sickness yet he would live You have another man that hath a
Zacheus his offer was but half of his goods Lord half of my goods I give to the poor For ought I can perceive and understand above half of her estate she hath given to charitable uses I say no more of her These works of her will praise her in the gates She died in the Country And I am sorry that I had not information as I did desire of her behaviour in her sickness I have it not I can say nothing of it but thus much It was not possible that such a creature that lived thus as we know she did in obedience to God in repentance in faith with invocation of Gods mercy in Charity in Peace but that her death was blessed She that lived in the Lord no question but she died in the Lord and she is blessed for Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Good Lord teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts to wisdom and grant that as we grow in years we may grow in knowledge of thy truth in obedience to thy will in faith in thy promises in love toward thee and toward our neighbours for thy sake that when we come to the end of our dayes we may come to the end of our hope the salvation of our souls through Jesus Christ to whom with thee oh Father and thee oh holy Spirit three Persons but one true and immortal and only wise God be given both from us and all thy creatures in heaven and in earth continual praise honour glory dominion and power now and for evermore Let all those that hear the word of God depart from iniquity Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepheard of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect to do his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Amen THE CHRISTIANS CENTER OR HOW TO LIVE TO GOD. SERMON X. ROM 14.7 For none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself for whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords THese words contain an Argument or reason which the Apostle useth to prove that the weak Christian should be born withal and that men should not judge because of the difference of meat amongst them He sheweth that they did not with the neglect of the knowledge of any truth keep themselves ignorant in this particular but it was their weakness The strong should bear with the weak and the weak should not censure the strong the reason is because they agree in one end they propound one general end to themselves that guides them in all their actions they walk in one way and in one path and therefore they should in these things agree together The general end at which they all aymed in their doings is the Lord He that eateth faith he eateth to the Lord he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not that is still he propoundeth God as his end and the pleasing of God in his actions as the rule of them That he may prove this unto us that they stand thus affected both of them notwithstanding this difference he bringeth in this as the general reason where to every particular of their lives may be reduced All their life is ordered by the Lord they live to the Lord they die to the Lord so that whet her they live or die they are the Lords Therefore all their particular actions are to the Lord. Whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we die we die to the Lord. Now this general reason he propoundeth two wayes First Negatively None of us living to himself and no man dieth to himself Secondly Affirmatively which consisteth of two parts Their duty to God Gods acceptance of them and protection over them Their duty to God if we live we live to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord. Gods acceptance of them Whether we live or die we are the Lords That which we shall now insist upon is the former part the negative expression and proposal of this general reason none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself Now when the A postle affirmeth this of the beleevers of those times he therein intimateth thus much that it is the course of beleevers in all times It is a duty belonging to all others of which they must make account not to live to themselves but to the Lord. Therefore though he speaks generally here yet there is in his speech a kind of particular universality a generality with a restraint He saith none of us he saith not none in the world live to themselves for there are many in the world live to themselves and not to the Lord but none of us none of those that we rank our selves with that are in the condition of beleevers none of those concerning whom we speak in this question none of us live to our selves Life in general is nothing else but that power whereby we act or move As we read Gen. 2. God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul he gave him the power whereby he acted The acting of this power is the exercise of that life whether the action be of the mind or of the body And so as there is a donble life there are two sorts of actions of life there are natural actions of a natural life and there are spiritual actions of a spiritual life When the Apostle speaks of living he intends both these We live not that is we do not the actions of life whether natural or spiritual to our selves but to the Lord. No man liveth to himselfe By himself he meaneth not only a mans person either soul or body but all those advantages that conduce to the well-being of a man No man of us so ordereth the actions of his life with reference and respect to our selves as the uttermost end we do not make our own well-being or well-fare the uttermost end of our actions none of us live to our selves You have the sense and meaning of the words which being a patterne to other Christians a thing which the Apostle supposeth is or should be in every beleever it giveth us this point of instruction whereupon we shall insist at this time That is No Beleever none that are in Christ should make themselves the end in their actions None should live that is spend their time and strength and endeavour ayming at no higher end then themselves No Christian should so spend his time as to seek himself only in the actions that he doth None of us liveth to himselfe But here it may be objected for the clearing of the point May not a Christian seek himself in the things that he doth When they do good things that which God commandeth that
the say this but Baruch When men cavil against any part of Gods word or hide any truth from themselves and with-hold the truth in unrighteousness Here is a man living to himself How many points are there in Religion that many men are willingly ignorant of And when they cannot but know them how do they labour for distinction how do they dawb over the matter that they may hide the truth from themselves that it may not work upon their consciences to make them leave their profitable fins Some would have the keeping of the Lords day according to Judaisme though it be revealed to them that there is a broad difference between the Jews observation and the Christians keeping of it Another man he will not understand Usury to be a sin because his course is usurious he will not know this willingly because he would not disadvantage himself Another will not understand what he is bound to do to the glory of God with his estate in what measure according to all the good that God hath blessed him with to honour God and give the first fruits of all his increase nor in what manner that he should be ready to every good work to contribute willingly to the necessities of the Saints what he should do to pious and merciful uses what for publike what for private occasions he would not willingly know these things he should have less ease he makes account Thus when a man is not willing to be informed in any thing to sift the truth to the bottome to the uttermost to know any thing concerning a duty in any kind when he laboureth not to convince his heart to this end that he may be brought in every thing to obey God when he standeth out with God in any one point this man liveth to himself and walketh not as he should according to the rule of God Now then beloved let us be convinced of it I beseech you take it home and let every man consider of it with himself Sometime in the actions of religion there cometh matter of glory in the world and this setteth me forward much when these things are spoken against and when I shall suffer disadvantages I cannot hold out At another time though all things be well yet if it cross me in such a course I murmure as if it were an unprofitable thing to serve God And then again when God revealeth his will my froward and rebellious heart hath hung back and been unwilling to submit to Gods will in this point all this while I have lived to my self And if it be true If a man be in Christ he liveth not to himself then it follows if a man liveth to himself he is out of Christ If the weakest Christian live to Christ then the best that liveth to himself is out of Christ Be convinced of this first Secondly Be convinced as it is the case of our selves so it is an ill estate for a man to live to himself You see still it is the whole drift of wicked men to took to themselves Haman aimed at himself when the King asked him what should be done to the man whom the King would honour He thought whom should the King honour but himself He looked to himself Here was the difference between Haman and Mordecai both had honour in the world Haman seeks himself in all his honour Mordecai seeks God and his glory and the welfare of his Church in his honour A great difference Saith Nabal shall I take my bread and my drink and give it to a man that I know not Here was a man that lived to himself Compare him with Job He was a foot to the lame an eye to the blind he continually fed those that wanted food A great difference Job lived to God and therefore he honoured God in releeving many with the estate that God hath given him Nabal lived to himself therefore he regarded none hut himself and his own house and sheep-shearers and those that depended upon him This is the property of a man out of Christ to seek himself and live to himself in all things Again consider others that have gone further in matters of religion yet they have still turned out of the way as far as they have halted in this Matt. 6.22 If thine eye be single the whole body is light but if thine eye be wicked the whole body is darkness A wicked eye is supposed to a single eye a double eye is a wicked eye What is a single eye That that looks but upon one object upon God and God onely and God principally and on all other things in him and with reference to him Now the double eye is that that though it looks to God and do many things in obedience to God yet it looks to somewhat else and takes other things as greater incouragements this is a wicked eye and such a man walketh in darkness when he looks to God he hath light in the duty when he looks to men and other things then he turneth aside and runneth to by-wayes And therefore a double-minded man is unconstant in all his wayes What is a double minded man He is a double-minded man whose mind is set upon more things then one first on the world and then on God as far as he sees it is profitable he will serve God or else not This man is an unconstant man You see it is an ill estate So much for the first Use for conviction Secondly therefore As many as are guilty of this labour to get out of it not to live to your selves any more Let it be enough that you have lived thus long to your selves that you have desrauded Christ of his due that hath puchased you with his bloud and not served him in holiness and righteousness so many dayes of your life Now for the time to come let us serve him better And that you may do thus I will give you two sorts of directions or helps I can give you but the heads of them First be convinced that our good is in God and not in our selves our life is in God and not in our selves our selves are in God and not in our selves that as the beams of the Sun are in the Sun more then in themselves so a Christian is more in Christ then in himself Whatsoever is good and comfortable to him is in Christ he hath all by vertue of a union with Christ he is not at all happy or blessed further then he is in him If then all our good lie in him it is great reason all our actions should returne to him that he should be the Center where all our lines should meet the mark whereto all our actions should aym Let not the strong man glory in his strength or the wise man in his wisdom or the rich man in his riches but he that glorieth let him glory in this that he knoweth me that I am the Lord. Jer. 9.24 What
Host of the house who is living there and is right owner and hath the whole estate No he only resteth there for a night after his weary journey but on the morrow God be with you then he is gone So a worldly man he may say here is my estate here is my stock all that I have is laid up here But a beleever saith I am now in my journey I am here no other then a pilgrim my home is in Heaven and while I am passing through this pilgrimage If I have a piece of meat in my hunger and a cup of drink in my thirst and clothes in my nakedness there is all that I care for Thirdly the last and the main Argument to prove that every true beleever must be as if not in all the things of this world is because if he be any otherwise in them hee will be so intangled that he shall not be fit for the service of God And this third Argument will be of the greatest force to a true beleever For the other two you will say if they be none of mine why do I meddle with them and if they be empty why likewise do I meddle with them But now thirdly if I meddle with them they will make me directly that I shall not be a Christian they will hinder me from the service of my God this will make a beleever of all things to look about him The Apostle saith directly that none that warreth intangleth himself that is thus Suppose a man have received press-money to go a souldier will he be so mad as to lay out his money upon a Farm in the Countrey when upon the command of his Captaine upon pain of death he must follow presently Beloved he that intangleth himself with the things of the world and of the flesh if his wife his pleasures his credit or any thing have taken up his heart or if sorrows and afflictions drink up his spirits and eat up his very soul when God calls this man now to come to prayer to come to the Church to hear his Word to fight against his lusts or to do any duty alas his head his heart and all are eaten up with his Farme with his oxen with his wife with his crosses and afflictions so that he is altogether unfit for any service that God hath called him to Therefore saith Saint John he that intangleth himself with these things below he cannot possibly have the love of the Father dwelling in him This shall suffice for the clearing of the point I have spent the more time in it because I would fain lay as good a foundation as I might that the Application may take the deeper impression in your hearts We that live in the Country when we come up by occasion into the City and here see all men so full of trouble every man so toyled in his work so full of business and so little time taken for any thing else me thinks that such a point as this to Brethren to beleevers should be of special use Now beloved this is the sum of that I have to say Be in all these things as if not Shall we all resolve as obedient children to carry this point home and examine indeed and in truth whether we be in these things as if not But alas what shall I say I remember a story of one Thomas Lennot a learned English-man who reading once in the fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of S. Mathews Gospel how our Saviour Christ faith You have heard how it hath been said of old you must do thus and thus but I say unto you you must love your enemies pray for them that curse you do good to them that hate you and persecute you and so he goeth on in injoyning such strange duties to flesh and bloud He breaks out Oh Jesus either this is not thy Gospel or we are not Christians Truly beloved I would to God a Minister might not have just cause to say so in this point that when he cometh and reads this of the Apostle It remains brethren that he that hath a wife be as if he had none he that useth the world as not abusing it and he that buyeth as if he possessed not c. And must it be thus if we mean to be Christians I would to God I say a man might not break out and say Oh Paul either thou art not the writer of this or we are no Christians We talk and prosess it in words that we purpose to do it but if we come to the deed and the truth it is clean contrary we are not at all moderate in the use of these things In matters of Heaven and in things that concern our everlasting welfare where God would have us take the kingdome of heaven with violence Where we should cry out as the Horse-leach his daughter Give give and never say it is enough We are even like children that go to school that care not how little they have for their money In hearing if the Sermon be but half an hour we think it enough and in prayer and in conference a little will serve the turn Like the Jesuit that when he thought he had a revelation he cryed out Satis Domine enough Lord I have revelation enough So we in matters of Religion Enough Lord. But turn us to wives to children to cloaths to honours to preferments to riches to ease to pleasures and the like there we are as the barren womb that never faith it is enough Brethren is it not thus But me thinks I should bring you some particular instances to convince you that it is thus and I would to the Lord I could throughly convince you of it that thus it is with you But to instance a little Suppose now a man comes and meets with a Citizen in his business and say to him How have you spent this day Truly he will say I am so full of business that I have not time so much as to eat my meat But I hope you have been at prayer in your family have you not Alas will he say I cannot get so much as a quarter of an hours time Do you call this as if not brethren Come to another that hath a wise all his care is for her oh my wife and children if I should die and leave them poor what should I do when I sleep I dream of them when I awake in the morning my thoughts are of them Is this to be as if you had no wife and children Another he is ever a complaining and mourning oh I have such crosses I am so full of affliction I have lost such and such friends and such and such an estate and though I go to Church and hear such and such comfortable doctrines one after another and all telling me of the all-sufficiency of God of the comforts and joyes of the Spirit of the good things that are laid up in Heaven yet like Rachel
mis-interpreted there is a certain truth in it the desire of grace is the grace it self and the desire of God is that which makes some union and giveth us some communion and fellowship with God For it is impossible that the heart should desire and long after God except it be that the heart be pointed with love toward God except the heart love God for desire is nothing but a certain configuration of love Love is the general affection of the soul to any thing that is good in all the postures of it Now if it fall out that the good thing I love be absent from me that I have it not in possession then love is shaped out and sheweth it self in desires It must needs be therefore that where there are desires towards God and desires of grace there is somewhat of God formed in that person there is something of grace begun at least the first lineaments thereof are drawn in some kind of truth This is the second Act that Christians should exercise and take special care to cherish that they have continual pantings and breathings of desires toward God their hearts should work and beat toward him continually But then in the third place there is another thing expressed in the words of the Text and that is these desires are not only according to our Proverb of wishers and woulders ineffectuall desires desires that are meer gaping to see if the thing will drop into our mouths or no without any bestirring of our selves but here is joyned with them if we peruse the words of the Text we shall find it endeavours I have desired thee in the night and I will seek thee early the soul of a Christian desires God in the evening and his spirit will seek him early in the morning for those particulars of the time I shall touch by and by but now I only take notice of that third distinct act here mentioned which is our desires must be joyned with inquiries with indeavours to search after God to see if we may grope by any means to find him out to learn to know what is the way of his good will and pleasure how we may lead a life that may be acceptable to him and how we may come to the possession and assurance of his favour and be accepted in his sight Except there be endeavours it is a shrewd suspition that the desires are ineffectual desires and unformed desires and not those that argue any life and truth of grace But when our desires are joyned with these bestirrings of the soul to seek after God to search him out in his Word in his Ordinances to find his steps and to find his goings and so to maintaine a sweet and holy communion with him that is a sweet act of Grace and a certaine ratification and seal of the truth of it But then let me add the third thing In what height are all these actions to be boyled up or in what manner must we tender these services to God in this kind How must our understandings lay hold upon God and treasure him up in our memories How must our affections and desires work toward him how must our endeavours be carried toward God The manner of all these will make this compleat and so make up the full and compleat Character of a Christian in this general duty First the soul must be carried intimately and most inwardly the inward motions and workings of the soul and spirit must be toward God And therefore the Prophet here expresseth these acts as the acts of the very soul and spirit of a man All outward actions of seeking toward God and making our approaches and addresses toward him they are all such as may be counterfeited a hypocrite may act them There is nothing in the world no shape of any external thing in the world but a Painter with his Pensil can draw the picture of it give a resemblance of the thing and there is no outward action in the world that belongeth to God or to Christianity but it is possible for a Painter for a base hypocrite to represent them with an artificiall pensil But the inward acts of life that no Painter can imitate a Painter cannot make a picture to have heart and entrailes and lunges to have life and motion and spirits and bloud stirring in the veines all those things a Painter cannot imitate he can make shapes but he cannot put the life into them he can make outward formes but he cannot put the inwards to them Now then this is that intended here all those outward actions must be animated actions not dead actions actions that have no further bottome then the teeth out wards that grow upon the house top a word growing upon the tip of the tongue that hath no root in the heart and so for the rest But they must have the root in the heart and soul of a man that must inwardly be carried towards God And when the heart and soul and spirit of a man all which words are here used by a supernatural grace that is implanted in them when I say they are thus carried toward God it is an argument of spiritual life that there is some life Secondly they must be carried sincerely not for any by or base respects When a man makes toward any person or thing and professes love to it and doth it not for the thing it self but for some by end he doth not love that person he makes to but he loveth that thing for whom he makes to that person As for example A man scrapeth and croucheth and keeps a do with a man that he never saw or knew one that he is ready it may be when his back is turned to curse but yet he will do this for his almes for his gain to make a prey a use of him some way this man loveth his almes loveth his prey loveth his bounty but it is no argument of love to the man So it is in this case for a man to make toward God and to seem to own him and to be one of the generation of those that seek his face to address himself in outward confotmity and many other things by which another may charitably if he have no other ground judge of him all this is nothing except a man may discern something that may give him a taste that his spirit doth uprightly and sincerely seek God that he loveth God for God himself that he loveth grace for grace it self he loveth the Commandements of God because they are Gods commandements and because they are beautiful being according to the rule of his Word But otherwise if it be any sinister thing that carrieth a man on toward God it is no argument of the life and truth of grace You know it is so in experience there be many things that move and yet their motion is no argument of life A wind-mill when the wind serveth moveth and moveth
affections of the whole man yeeld obedience now to his will and thou shalt find him a Jesus then He is not a Jesus a Saviour except he be a Lord and Commander also But you see I cannot stand to insist upon this The occasion of our meeting at this time is to commit to the Earth the body of our Sister departed She hath now the termination and conclusion of all her waiting and expectation And after so long a waiting there remaineth a sleeping in the Grave awhile when the soul resteth in the hands of Christ and waiteth for that great day when body and soul shall be joyned together I perswade my self well of her that She was one of the number of those waiters that shall have joy at the coming of Christ I had not much knowledg af her only I observed in her sickness a good purpose and desire of new and better obedience and performing better service to Christ then she had done if God should have spared her longer And she expressed also a great desire of Christs second coming a desire that he would receive her to himself and that these dayes of sin might be finished Much she was in these desires and she had good warrant for it for she was careful as I am informed to set up the kingdome of Christ in her Family It is the duty of a good Wife to be a help to her Husband especially in matters of piety and the worship of God and therein her example should teach wives to strive herein She was alwayes stirring him up to prayer in his Family to a more careful sanctifying of the Lords day herein She was frequent She was much mortified to the world for some late years as it was observed in her daily course by those that knew her Thus she laboured to fit her self and her Family that she might have comfort in the great Day of the appearing of the Lord Jesus I speak upon information for your edification to stir you up to labour to fit your selves for Christ by purging out of sin in your hearts and lives Labour to fit your Families for Christ that when you and your servants and children shall appear before him you may look on them and look on Christ with comfort as men that before have prepared themselves for the coming of Christ and as those that then shall lift up their heads because the day of their redemption draweth nigh CHRISTS PRECEPT AND PROMISE OR SECURITY AGAINST DEATH SERMON XVII JOHN 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my saying he shall never see Death IT is not long men and brethren since Death rode in triumph thorow this City and did bear down all before him he locked up your houses pulled down your windows and made the wealthiest among you put upon them the semblance of Banckroutness by locking up their doors and turning their backs to their houses and running away so it plaid the Tyrant then there died thousands a week and the Grave that alwaies cryeth Give give was almost cloyed with carkasses Death served himself so fast that the Prison could scarse hold the Prisoners It might almost have been said then of this City as once it was of AEgypt There was scarse a house wherein some were not dead at least where there was not the fear of Death Now it hath pleased God to shew you more favour and men now die but by scores Death goeth his old pace and takes away a few secretly without observation But Death is amongst you still and still will be so long as sin is among you and therefore it will not be unseasonable upon this occasion for me to speak and you to hear somewhat that may arme you against this last and worst Enemy Death which though he make not such a stir in these times of less Mortality yet he will certainly take us all away one by one And who can tell but he may be amongst the number of the hundred or fewer hundreds that die now as no man could tell wether he should be amongst the number of the thousands then Since Death therefore is alwayes an enemy and alwayes fighteth against us though not alwayes with like fury and violence it is a part of wisdome in us alwayes to hear and to practise that which may secure us against the danger of death And that is taught in this Text. Verily verily I say unto you If a man keep my saying he shall never see death Wherein not to speak any thing of the Context I pray take notice who speaks the words The Author of truth the Death of Death he that can best tell by what means a man may shun the hurt of it he that hath vanquished it and overcome the uttermost of his assaults Our Lord Jesus Christ that hath slain death and brought life and immortality to light He giveth us this direction for the avoyding of the hurt of Death Then observe the manner of his speaking Verily verily I say unto you with an affirmation earnest and redoubled He never affirmed any thing unture therefore that which he speaks is an undoubted verity He never spake any thing rashly therefore that which he affirmed so earnestly is a weighty thing and of great consequence And lastly observe that which I only shall insist upon the matter of his direction here comprehended in a hypothetical proposition which hath as all such have two parts An Antecedent and a Consequent In the one he sheweth the Duty to be done as a necessary condition for the obtaining of that which is specified in the other The first hath the Duty The second the benefit that floweth from the Duty These two are knit together in a most necessary consequence If a man keep my word he shall never see death You see now the only and perfect remedy against the evil of Death that is to keep the saying and word of Christ If any would know by what means he may be secured against the terrible of all terrible things as one calleth Death here is a sure and certain rule for him and he need not doubt of it it cometh from the mouth of Christ let him keep his saying and then Death shall never do him harm I will first interpret these words unto you and then make them good by Scripture and Reason and then apply them and commit my self and you and all at last to the blessing of God First then when our Saviour Christ saith If a man we must conceive him to mean generally at least indefinitely If any man whatsoever for so it pleaseth him to in large his promise in the redoubling of the word that no man may have cause to say he is excluded except he exclude himself Keep my sayings Here first I must shew you what is meant by sayings and then what it is to keep those sayings The Saying or words of Christ is the doctrine of the Gospel the Covenant of Grace which by an excellency
the outward man which is the separation of the Body from the Soul it is no Death if it separate not both from God which it can never do if a man keep the sayings of Christ therefore though his body that keepeth the sayings of Christ be took from his soul yet he seeth not death so as to have any hurt by it he feeleth no ill by it nay it is good to him for it is a passage from misery to rest and felicity Thus ye have these words as faithfully interpreted to you as I know how And now I will make proof of this Doctrine thus explicated namely that thus to keep Christs sayings to know and follow the Doctrine of the Gospel is the only sure way to escape the danger and hurt of Death Saint Peter acknowledgeth as much when he said to the Lord Jesus Christ that he had the words of Eternal life then he that keepeth them is certainly safe against the hurt of Death So the Angel speaks to the Apostles whom the Pharisees had imprisoned when he brought them forth of Prison he biddeth them speak to the people the words of this life since Christs Doctrine is the word of life it must needs follow that the keeping thereof is a perfect Antidote against the poyson of Death And Saint Peter when he gave an account to the rest of the Apostles and the brethren of Judea of his going to the Gentiles he saith that an Angel appointed Cornelius to send for him that he might speak words to him whereby himself and his family should be saved and those words which cause a man to be saved you know will give him freedome enough from Death Thus I have proved the point by expresse Texts and there are two reasons of it The first is delivered by the Apostle Saint John in the first Epistle and second Chapter where he faith let that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning that is the Doctrine of the Gospel which Christ taught his sayings if that remain in you you also shall continue in the Son and in the Father He that hath fellowship with the Son and with the Father can never see Death for God is the fountain of life therefore those that are one with him and continue in him cannot see Death no more then he can be overwhelmed with darkness that is where the Sun shineth fully no more then the body can be dead as long as it hath communion with the soul so those in whom the word of Christ remaineth and stayeth they are assured that they shall remain with the Father and the Son and therefore being united to that that is life God the Father and the Son it is impossible that ever they should be hurt by the first or ever at all taste of the last Death Again the Word of Christ freeth him in whom it remaineth from the power and hurt of sin bringing to him remission of sins and sanctification And being free from sin the cause of Death it is easie to conjecture that he shall be freed from Death it self Let a mans Debt be satisfied and let the favour of the Prince be obtained and a Pardon granted the Prison shall never hold him long he shall not be brought to the place of Execution but when his guives are knocked off he is set at liberty so when we have obtained power against sin by the powerful work of the Spirit of God which alwayes at the same time doth bend the heart of man to rest on Christ for salvation and heartily to indevour to walk before him in holiness and righteousness when I say we are thus freed from the power and guilt of sin it is impossible that Death should lay hold upon us as his prisoner to carry us to the dungeon of Hell and to hold us under the wrath of God and that fiery indignation of his that causeth Hell to be Hell Therefore certainly the words of Christ are an undoubted truth and we must rest upon them without all distrust and wavering that he that keepeth his sayings shall never see death and that the knowledge and beleeving and obeying the Doctrine of the Gospel is the only sure way to escape the hurt and ill of Death it self Let us make some Application of this Doctrine to our souls First to stir us up to a right hearty thankfulness unto Almighty God that is pleased to cast our times and dayes into that age and those places where the Doctrine of the Gospel this Saying of our blessed Saviour is so clearly and plainly and evidently laid open to you and frequently and earnestly prest upon your souls where the Lord cometh to declare unto you the way to life where he scoreth you out a path that will bring you quite out of the clutches and danger of Death this is the happiness of our present Age and place where we live and this whole kingdom too The grace and mercy and favour of our loving God hath so disposed of us that we do not live in times of Paganisme and darkness where there was no news of Christ that we live not in places of Popish darkness where the Doctrine of the Gospel is so mixed and darkned with tricks and devices of their own that they cannot see Christ clearly It is our happiness I say that we do not live in those places and times where either Paganisme or Popery with their darkness covered Christ from us and caused us that we could not clearly see or hear him and so not keep his sayings But now grace is offered light is tendered to us we may be saved we may escape the danger of damnation if the fault be not solely and wholly in our carelesness and wilfulness and neglect and abuse of the means that God hath afforded us The heathen men that have not heard of Christ cannot possibly attain to life as far as we can judge by the Scripture And it is very difficult for the Papists that hear so darkly and are told of the Doctrine of the Gospel with so many sophistications to come to be saved But for us that have the Doctrine of the Gospel so plainly and carefully taught us and revealed unto us we may be saved and may easily see the way to obtain salvation So we go beyond them in happiness Oh blessed be the name of the Ever-living God that beside the peace and plenty and other temporal benefits wherewith he hath crowned this unworthy Nation of ours he hath added this blessing of blessings this King of favours to give us so clear a revelation of the Doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ alone Blessed be his name and let your hearts say Amen to this thanksgiving and let it be one part of your endeavour this day to give solemne praise every man apart and his Family apart for this unspeakable mercy of his in making you live in the dayes of Light and in the bright Sun-shâ—…ne of
know this there is the cooling-card that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment In the words we will consider two parts First what young men do Secondly the Medicine of God to heal young men of their default That that young men do is this They give over themselves to an inordinate carnal Joy This Joy is set out from the time of it the dayes of their youth From the cause of it their hearts chear them From the kinds of it they walk in the wayes of their hearts and after the sight of their eyes Secondly the Medicine with which Solomon would heal young men of this inordinate carrâ—…al Joy is this Know saith he that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment that is it is a most divine and infallible truth that every one should know and acknowledg that whatsoever sins they commit in their youth without repentance they must undergo the dreadful Judgment of God because of them Thus as briefly as I can I have opened the words unto you Though I might insist on many doctrines yet not witstanding I will only handle these two The first shall be that which ariseth from the first part of the Text what young men do what their fault is For as I said it is an Ironnical concession not declaring what young men should do but what they do The doctrine is thus much That it is the sin of young men to rejoyce inordinately and carnally in the dayes of their youth to walk after their hearts and the sight of their eyes We read concerning the old world that they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage altogether sottish and sensual till the wrath of God came in the flood and swept them away Now lest any should suppose that this were the fault of old age only the Scripture sheweth that all flesh had corrupted their way before God Gen. 6.11 Isa 22.14 Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die It is thought by learned Divines that this speech was not so much the language of Age as of the youth in Israel Hence Solomon giveth a caveat to the young man Eccles 12.1 to bridle and restrain him from his jollity and carnal mirth Remember now thy Creatour in the dayes of thy youth while the evil day come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them And the Apostle Saint Paul 1 Tim. 2.22 instructeth Timothy to flie the lusts of youth that is in carnal pleasures and pastimes in voluptuousness and sensuallity and the like And Tit. 2.6 Exhort young men that they be sober minded that is that they leave this drunkenness of understanding in being overcome with sensual carnal objects and pleasures Job in the first Chapter of that book when the young people his Suns and Daughters met together to feast he was afraid lest they should be misguided in this kind therefore the holy man in a godly care and thoughtfulness for their welfare sacrificed to God to make attonement for their sin Let us a little consider the reasons of this Doctrine whence it is that young men should be so much misguided in their youth The first cause is natural corruption that they have drawn by propagation from their Parents A spiritual leprosie and maladie and disease which as it prevaileth for the most part against age by covetousness so it getteth ground of youth by sensuallity and voluptuousness This dams up the eare against reproose this hardens the heart against instruction and makes many young men the souldiers of Sathan in sin Again in the second place Men in their youth forget the day of their reckoning and Judgment they are not mindful of their latter end Deut. 32.22 Oh that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end This Precept is neglected both by youth and age but especially by those of younger yeares For they feele their bloud run warm in their veins and they are full of spirits and vigour therefore they suppose that the Grave and the house of darkness is far off from them Again in the third place Young men are not broken by afflictions the fallow ground is not poughed up by the pressures of afflictons which through the grace of God are great means to tame nature and to subdue the pride of it and to bring it to a right frame and temper Before I was afflicted faith David I went a stray And Ephraim faith of himself Jer. 31. I was as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoak thou chastisest me and I was chastised I was ashamed because I bore the reproach of my youth But young men are free from aches and pains and sickness and sorrow much more then old age and this is the reason why they are more licentious Lastly young men want true joy in God therefore they betake themselves to carnal joy For sure it is that a man cannot live without joy and contentment if he have it not from the Wells of salvation he will drink it out of watery and slimy places Now because men in their youth cannot take in the spiritual joy of that clear fountain therefore they drink in the muddy waters of carnall joy The use of this point is in the first place an Admonition to all young men to take notice of these maladies and spiritual diseases in themselves The first degree of our healing is to see that we are sick and till then Christ Jesus the Physitian of our souls hath no commission to do us good Let young men observe in themselves first their carnal joy Solomon here sheweth that they rejoyce inordinately This may appear to them first because they rejoyce not where they ought they solace not themselves in God in whom is the fountain of joy nor in Christ Jesus in whom is the spring of joy nor in the sacred Word where there is the Cistern of Joy Even as a bone when it is out of joynt out of its place it must needs be a disordered bone so the affections when they are misplaced are disordered and then our Joy and any other affection are misplaced when they are not set upon God and Christ Now if young men would deal uprightly with themselves they should perceive that for the most part in their jollity and merriment they never think of God or dream of the world to come Nay the serious apprehension of God Almighty would quench their joy and make it altogether put out Secondly the carnalness of the joy of young men appeareth because they rejoyce where they ought not in riot in drunkenness in surfeiting in voluptuousness many times in obscenity of words and phrases in making jeasts of the word of God in deriding their superiours behind their backs As Solomon faith of laughter thou art mad so we may say of this merriment it is
comparing it to a City built with precious Stones having twelve gates and twelve foundations wherein there is no darkness they needing no candle nor the light of the Sun for Christ Jesus the Sun of Righteousness is the continual light thereof And that therein is no misery no cross no imperfection no want no calamity but continual joy and rejoycing Where their songs are Halelujah and their shields felicity in the continual enjoying of the presence of Almighty God the glorious Trinity Having I say thus described these joyes he doth in the words of my Text for the comfort of the godly Who have here no continuing City but are strangers and forreiners and pilgrims and travellers to another City and seek a Country And in this their travel they meet with many crosses and afflictions and miseries And likewise for the terrour of the wicked that make this world their kingdom and are the chief Lords and commanders of the same for the comfort of the one and the terrour of the other the Angel here in the person of Christ saith he will come and that shortly to be a speedy deliverer of the one and a just Judge against the other Behold I come shortly and my reward is with me c. In which words observe these particular branches First the word of preparation or attention in the first word Behold which is as it were a Trumpet that sounds before the coming of the great Judge bidding every one to fit and prepare himself to hold up his hand at the bar Behold Secondly the Person and that is the Judge himself speaking in the person of the Angel I Christ Jesus himself Thirdly his action I come Fourthly the speediness of his coming shortly Fiftly the end of his coming to Judgment and that is to reward every man according to his works Sixtly and lastly the quantity and the quality of the reward inclusively set down which is according to the quality of the works for if the works be good there shall be a great and good reward but if they be bad the reward shall be accordingly The small model of time will not suffer me to run over all these particulars therefore my meditations and your attention shall be in one doctrine from the words in general and that is this that Christ Jesus will hasten his coming to Judgement to reward the godly with everlasting and eternal felicities but the wicked and ungodly with endless woe and perpetual misery For the proof of which doctrine you may consider these four things First of all the certainty and celerity of Christs coming to Judgement Secondly the signs that prognosticate his coming Thirdly the Judgement it self Lastly the end For the certainty of Christ coming to judgement I perswade my self that there is none here among you so ignorant that he doth not know or so Atheistical that he doth not beleeve you know it is an Article of our belief that he ascended into heaven and there he sits at the right hand of his Father in glory and from thence he shall come at the end of the world to judge both the quick and the dead Therefore I may spare the labour and the time in any further proof of that Now concerning the speediness of his coming to judgement If so be the day of Judgement was at hand sixteen ages since as both Christ and his Apostles proclaimed if then even in Christs dayes the ends of the world were come as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 10.11 If then was the last time as Saint John faith 1 John 2.18 If then the end of all things were at hand as Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 4.7 can we think that now it is far off Nay so sure and so certain as God is God and his Word is truth and not one jott nor tittle thereof shall pass away he is neer at hand he will come shortly But before we proceed there lies two stumbling blocks in the way that we must remove wherewith many stumble concerning this point In the time of the Apostles there were two heresies confuted the one by Saint Peter the other by Saint Paul Saint Peter in 2 Pet. 3.3 he wills us to understand that in the last dayes there shall come scoffers men living after their own lusts saying Where is the promise of his coming You preach so much that Christ Jesus is coming to Judgement and to call every one of us to account for our wayes our words and actions but where is the promise of his coming for all things continue alike from the beginning of the Creation Miserable men that would be perswaded that the day of Judgment should never come because it was deferred but such jesting and mocking and scoffing at this great and terrible day heretosore used and indeed now practised in the whole progeny of unheleevers it may be an argument to us that it shall not be deferred for so saith Saint Paul 1 Thes 5.3 when they shall say peace peace and safety then destruction shall come on them as travel on a woman with child they shall not escape But Saint Peter answers these scoffers that asked Where is the promise of his coming he gives them two answers The one in vers 8. the other vers 9. In the eight vers he saith Christ defers notlong to come to judgement for saith he one day with the Lord is as a thousandyears c. alluding to Psal 90.4 A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday since they pass as a watch in the night As if he should say were it possible for a man to live a thousand years yet those thousand years in respect of God as soon as they are past they are as one day in respect of men nay they are but as a watch of the night that is but as three hours The old Jewes they divided the night into four Watches and appointed to each Watch three hours as may appear by comparing of these places of Scripture together Mat. 14.24 Num. 14.25 Luke 12.38 So then the words bear this exposition that a thousand years in respect of God are but as one day nay but as a Watch of the night that is but as three hours It doth plainly shew to us that Saint Peter meant not to speak distinctly of a thousand years but of a long time so that his meaning is innumerable years in respect of God are but as one day Saint Peter might as well have said 2000. or 3000. or 10000. thousand years in respect of God are but as one day Thus you have his first answer to those scoffers that said Where is the promise of his coming His second answer is in the ninth vers where the Apostle saith The Lord is not slack concerning his promise Where is the promise of his coming Why saith the Apostle The Lord is not slack as we account slackness For we account them slack that goe slowly about a work but God is
the spirit Earnestness that is one A second thing is Patience If quoth the Apostle we hope for that we see â—…ot then do we with patience wait for it There is patientia spei The Thessalonians are commended for it in 1 Thes 1.3 The patience of hope And as the Apostle saith Heb. 10.36 Opus est vobis patientia you have need of patience in this looking for considering First of all that the time is not known to us when this Lord will appear It is not for you to know the times and the seasons that the Father hath kept in his own power And considering secondly that that time either longer or shorter may seem to be long omnes celeritas in desiderio All hast that can be made is but delay to a man that languisheth in desire hence comes those often usque quo how long Lord how long Thirdly considering as the very heathen man could call them those wondrous workings of God It is many times seen that Gods working seems to go against his word And then fourthly considering how busie the Divel is to discredit the truth of Gods promise and to weaken our faith I say again with the Apostle you have need of patience There is the second thing There is a third thing necessary that is Joy to think of this same day Saith the Apostle there is a crown of righteousness laid up for me and not for me only but for all them that love that appearing and where love is there will be joy joy is a sweet motion of Gods spirit spiritual joy I speak of that either upon the fruition of some good thing present or the expectation of future there is rejoycing under the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 And faith the Apostle Peter whom you have not seen and yet love whom though you see not you beleeve and beleeving you rejoyce with a joy unspeakable and glorious It is such a joy as the world cannot give us and such a joy as the world cannot take from us Lastly this looking hath also with it a care and diligence to prepare our selves against that coming Mark the Apostle 2 Pet. 3.14 faith the Apostle Seeing we look for these things let us use all diligence that we may be found of him in peace You know how the wise Virgins because they looked for the Bridegroom they had trimmed their lamps and made all things ready to meet him So then where this excellent looking for this blessed hope is there will be all these An earnestness first And then a Patience And then a Joy And then a diligence to meet him to make our selves ready for him Dost thou not look earnestly And dost thou not look with patience And dost thou not joy to think of this coming Then thou dost not look as thou shouldest do But the next word is Looking for what The blessed Hope Hope is put for the thing hoped for the blessed hope is the hoped for blessedness and this consists in two things A freedome from all ill both of soul and body And a fruition of all good both in soul and body in the whole man First this blessed hope consists in this in a freedom from all ill First that there shall be no more blindness in our understandings no more rebellion in our wills no more terrour in our consciences no more weakness in our memory no more sin no more power to sin here is a non posse pecari No more temptations of Satan no more allurements of the world no more frailties of the flesh no more hunger no more thirst no more weariness no more sickness no more megrome in the head no more palsie in the hand no more gout in the feet no more diseases and no more death For if we shall be freed from corruption how much more shall we be freed from vexation and infirmity and deformity Here is freedome from ill Well here is not all it is not enough to be freed from ill but here is the second part of this blessed hope to enjoy all good First this is our blessed hope that the Image of God shall be wondrously perfected in our fouls and all the faculties of it This is our hope that God shall be to our understandings fulness of light that he shall be to our wills abundane of peace to our memories a continuation of eternity In a word God shall be All in all This is our blessed hope that this vile body of ours as vile as it is as the Apostle calls it a body of vileness it shall be raised up again and made like the glorious body of Christ by that mighty working that this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this very mortal shall pus on immortality I and this is the blessed hope that both in soul and body being blessed we shall be gathered together to the Congregation of the first born Where we are sure never to find any enemy and we are sure never to lose a friend Where we shall have the society and company of Gods Saints and of the blessed Angels And in the beatifical vision and fruition and communion of God we shall have such joy as neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor tongue can express such joy as cannot be conceived and shall never be ended Oh blessed be that God that is the author of this hope and blessed is the man that is partakers of this hope But when will this be for quoth the Apostle If our hope were only in this life of all men living we were most miserable Why but when must we look for it then At the appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ At the glorious appearing The word is at the Epiphany at the appearance of glory at the glorious appearing There is a twofold Epiphany of Christ an Epiphany of grace that was his appearing in our flesh to work the work of our redemption And then there is an Epiphany of glory here spoken of There was no glory in the first Epiphany and appearing of Christ It was no glory for the Creator to become a creature for the Lord to become a servant for the Word to become an Infant He was our joy and yet he sorrowed he was our strength and yet he was weakned he was our confidence and yet he seared he was our Saviour and yet he suffered he was our life and yet he died There was no glory in that He came to be minor Patre less then his Father but that is not all yet he might have become a glorious creature as the Angels are glorious creatures No it was less then thus he was a little lower then the Angels in that he was made man But in that he suffered he was a great deal less then a man he was a little less then an Angel in that he was made man but in that he suffered he was a great
him And in Levit. 24.11 The word there translated to blaspheme it is in the original that the man stabbed God or did pierce God he offered a kind of violence to the holy name of God Such sinful speeches as are forbidden in the third Commandment and do concern the name of God or any of his attributes or ordinances any thing that is spoken against them or without due reverence and respect to them they are there said to be a stabbing of God in the Hebrew phrase or a piercing of God a wounding of God doing some violence to God himself Now I say when such wrong and injury is done to God shall not God take a time to right himself of those that injure him Secondly it is an injury done to men You know it is a common thing in Law to have actions against men for speeches they make speeches actions they make them lyable to the penalty and censure of the Law for speeches So the Law of God proceeds according to the very speeches of men whereby they have discouraged his servants in any kind at any time in any duty of Religion and course of his worship or whereby they have brought an ill report on it As those spies did upon the Land therefore they might not be suffered to go into the Land So I say when men bring an evil report upon the duties of godliness they shut themselves out of the kingdom of God So likewise when men make that which is straight become crooked It is said of Simon Magus that he perverted the straight wayes ef God that is he did as much as lay in him to make the straight wayes of God to seem crooked that as a man that puts a stick in the water though it be straight when it is put in yet it seems crooked when it is in So when a man puts colours and shews upon good actions and courses as if they were folly and indiscretion and unadvised and hypocrisie and vain or whatsoever is ill this is to make the straight wayes of God crooked to make that that God accounts straight to be crooked this is a setting against God therefore Peter saith to Simon Magus pray if it be possible that the thought of thy heart may be for given thee So you see Saint Paul speaks to Elymas the sorcerer upon the same ground Act. 13. Thou child of the divel and enemy to all righteousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of God Now I say here are the words and speeches that men speak against the wayes of God these are speeches that argue men in a state whereby they are liable and open to judgment and exposed to wrath therefore we should take heed of such words The use may be to condemn those that make light account of words they think they may speak it may be in rashness and hastiness and they may be excused for uttering them it is there hastiness and their passion and it was done unadvisedly c. I but the Law of God is transgressed the Majesty of God is offended the anger of God is provoked You know what old Eli said to his Sons My sons if a man sin against a man man may plead for him but if he offend against God who shall plead for him I say who shall take up the matter with God in such a case as this when the offence strikes against God and his ordinances and his worship Therefore take heed there is much evil there is life and death as Solomon saith in the power of the tongue that is a man may utterly destroy himself by the very words he speaks unadvisedly as he thinks and will plead for himself or passionately and rashly Again much more doth it concern those that proceed to other kinds of wickedness in the tongue we instanced in some particular instances then that we cannot now stand on We came to direct men to carry themselves in their speech as David to set a watch before the door of their lippes he prayed to God to do it And Psal 39. I said that I will take heed to my wayes that I offend not in my tongue And then he prayes to the Lord Psal 131. to keep a watch before the door of his mouth He knew well enough that there will be a time when the words that we think are sleight and vain shall be brought to judgement idle unprofitable frothy talk much more railing and reviling speeches most of all the highest blasphemies and execrations these shall most certainly be brought to a greater censure at the day of judgment But I will not stand on that I then handled Now there remains three things more The first is this that in the day of judgment God will proceed according to his Law So speak and so do as those that shall be judged by the Law I say In the day of judgment God will proceed with men according to his Law He will proceed according to his word written therefore labour that your speeches and actions may be such that they may be agreeable to that John 12.48 The word that I speak to you saith Christ shall judge you at that day There is not a word that Christ speaks but it shall judge he speaks not in vain he is the judge that speaks Now you know Christ speaks two wayes Either in himself Or by his Ministers In himself and so either that that he spake when he was on earth in his own person then all the words that he spake at that time are those words by which he will judge men as far as they concern morral actions by those words he will judge men at the great day for he spake nothing but what was according to his Law Or else that which he spake in his Apostles immediatly by a certain and infallible work of the Spirit directing them to such truth as that they could not err in speaking now in this Christ still spake in them The same way Christ hath in speaking to this day therefore saith he he that heareth you heareth me and he that heareth me heareth him that sent me That which he spake to them he spake in them concerning all the Ministers of the Gospel What we speak as Ministers that is as men that look to the direction of our Lord for we are but Embassadours and our words are so far of value and power as they are the speeches of our Lord and as we speak the word of him whose Embassadours we are Now I say look what the Minister thus speaks as the Embassadour of Christ to the people that Christ will confirm at the day of judgement Now it will appear what we speak as Embassadours if we speak nothing but what is agreeable to the text of Scripture rightly understood Therefore mark it whatsoever sin we denounce the judgement of God against and urge Scripture for it it is the very rule that Christ will observe in judging men Or
else that speech could not stand what ye lease on earth shall be loosed in heaven and what ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven We bind when by declaring of mens sins we denounce the judgment of God against such sins and so pronounce men to stand under the wrath of God that remain in those sins saith Christ what you thus bind on earth shall be bound in heaven that is Gods act shall ratifie and confirm the same sentence in heaven which we denounce here upon earth by vertue of this word So when we come to distressed souls and declare to them that they stand acquitted and that by the Word of God and so as Ministers of the Gospel by vertue of the truth revealed to us declare that they are freed from the bond and guilt of their sins upon those evidences of repentance that they manifest I say it is ratified in heaven Therefore you see there is no other way of proceeding but look as Christs own words when he was upon the earth so the same that are as his own words that is those truths that are drawn from Christs truths have the same power upon the hearts and consciences of men now to cammand them and shall have after to judge them as ever they had But here it may be objected it should seem that all men shall not be judged by the Law because there are some men to whom the Law hath never been published for what shall we say to a great part of the world that have not yet received the Scriptures we know that the Scriptures have not been published to a great part of the world at this day there are many Heathens many Pagans that never had the Scriptures therefore how shall they be jndged by the Law except you say that only those shall be judged by it that have been under the preaching of the Gospel and have had the help of the Scriptures We answer that all man-kind and every particular man is under the Law only the Law is not alike expressed to them it is not revealed alike to all sorts All have the Law and the Law written too but either it is written in the hearts of men and so it is naturally in the hearts of all the Sons of men Or else in the Scrptures and so it is more clearly and evidently manifested in the Churches but yet nevertheless in the hearts of men is the Law written as much as shall be sufficient to condemn them as we see Rom. 2.14 saith the Apostle If the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law they having not the Law are a Law to themselves and shew the effect of the Law written in their hearts their consciences accusing or excusing them before God The Gentiles that had not the Law that is not the Law written in the Scriptures yet nevertheless they are a Law to themselves that is they have certain principles certain rules which remain in their natural consciences whereby they either accuse or excuse as they do good or evil And even these do shew that they have a Law that doth bind them and shall condemn them because that when they would not obey even that Law that is even those principles whereupon their consciences wrought to accuse or excuse they were sinners against the Law So that we see no man shall be condemned at the day of judgement but by vertue of the Law and however all have not the Scripture yet they have a natural conscience and the Law written there whereby it accuseth or excuseth Howsoever it be true that things are not alike expresly manifested to other people and to us that have the Scriptures yet they have so much manifested to them as shall condemn them And the reasons of it are these why it must be so First because the Law of God is Gods Scepter whereby he governs and rules the Church Psal 110.2 he shall bring the rod of thy power out of Sion The rod of thy power that is the Scepter of thy power that Scepter whereby thou dost authoritatively and by power rule over the Churches and what is this Scepter It is the Word as we shall see Isa 2.3 4. The Law shall come out of Sion So then the Scepter the rod of the word that is brought out of Sion is the Law that comes out of Sion the word of God the Law of works and the Law of faith for both these come out of Sion the Law of works as far as it is the rule of life and then the Law of Faith both come in to rule the Church of God Yea this is the rod of Christs power therefore he will manifest his power and make all men subject to it What power There is a power of Christ such a power whereby he manifests his own greatness and soveraignty over all his creatures over those creatures that have not sence that have not reason that is not this Law But this power here the Scepter of his power is that whereby he manifests his soveraignty over reasonable creatures Angels and men therefore if they will not obey him yet it shall be a Scepter of Iron to crush them in peeces Therefore we see the very Angels themselves that would not obey the directing commandement of God the rule of life in that particular place wherein they were they found it a Scepter to crush them down and they were cast out of their place for their sin So likewise men you see what the Apostle Peter speaks of those that perished in the time of Noah because they would not receive the Word preached to them but they would be lawless and disobedient or like men that would be under no Law therefore they felt the force of it in the effect of the Law in the fruit and penalty of the Law upon them So I say Christ still rules by power in the Law in so much as that when the Law and command prevails not then the punishment prevails and they that will not subject themselves to the Law they shall be subdued under the punishment of the Law that is the first thing Again secondly it must be that Christ must proceed in judgement according to the Law because the Law is the rule Now you know a rule is a note of distinction it is that that being straight right in it self which doth distinguish and discover things that are crooked So the Law of Christ it is a straight rule in it self therefore whatsoever is contrary to it is crooked and perverse And he will declare a righteous proceeding contrary to the unrighteousness of men How by that rule that discovers unrighteousness How shal Christ appear to be righteous in his Law except he have a rule whereby unrighteousness shall be discovered Now that is discovered by the Law the right rule as it is Psa 19. The statutes of the Lord are right Now rectum is index sua oblique
First by way of detestation Secondly by way of confutation By way of detestation in the first verse and part of the second What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound God forbid Secondly by way of confutation the argument whereby he confutes it is by a necessary consequence of our justification that is our sanctification these are so inseparably united together all that are justified are sanctified And upon this ground the Apostle frames two arguments to confute this errour taken from the two parts of sanctification The first is from our mortification from the third verse to the end of the seventh and the argument runs thus Those that are dead to sin cannot sin that Grace may abound but all that are in Christ are dead to sin therefore they cannot sin that Grace may abound Now that all that are in Christ are dead to sin he proves by their union with Christ testified in Baptisme and by the effect of that union which is conformity to Christ that as Christ was dead for sin so they are dead to sin The second argument is taken from the second part of our sanctification which is our quickning to a new life and that he handles in the 8 9 10. verses and that argument runs thus Those that are quickned by Christ to newness of life cannot sin that Grace may abound but all that are in Christ are quickned by Christ to newness of life therefore they cannot sin that Grace may abound That all that are in Christ are quickned to newness life he proves in verse 8. If we be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall live with him still by our union with Christ whereby there comes a conformity to Christ in his resurrection as well as in his death And from these premises he infers by way of application the conclusion that is here in the words of the Text I have now read to you likewise reckon ye also your selves dead unto sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. As if he should say do not rest your selves satisfied in the bare knowledge of these things in the discourse of them in general but bring them to particular application make the case your own what we say of death to sin and of newness of life we speak to you if ye be in Christ therefore you must make account of it to be your case likewise reckon ye your selves dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We see now the coherence of the words with those that go before and the main intent and scope of the Apostle in the Chapter wherein we might note divers things The first is out of the very connexion that by vertue of the union of beleevers with Christ there is in them a conformity to Christ They are made like unto him he had said before that Christ died and rose again likewise reckon ye your selves like him in this Every one that is in Christ is conformable to Christ and made like him Then again secondly we might note hence this also that Rectified and sanctified reason ever concludes to God and for God Reckon ye make account conclude this so the word signifieth reason thus conclude thus as it is used Rom. 3.28 We conclude saith the Apostle where the same word is used That a man is justified by Faith without the works of the Law So conclude this rest on this conclusion do not make it a matter of conjecture and opinion onely but when you consider things wisely when you weigh things seriously you shall see great reason to infer those things from these premises that God would have you infer Therefore whatsoever reasoning is against the Word whatsoever disputes the minds of men uphold against any truth in Scripture it is but the reasoning of corrupt reason If reason were sanctified it would conclude as 2 Cor. 5. We judge if one died for all then they that live should not live to themselves but to him that died for them When men come to deal judiciously and advisedly when they come to conclude of things wisely they will conclude then that what use the Word and the Gospel would have them make of any truth that they will make of it Likewise reckon ye judge thus Thirdly we might note hence thus much also that The best and most profitable knowledge of the Scriptures is in applying it to a mans own case and person and condition Reckon ye also your selves saith the Apostle make account of thus much that this is a truth concerns you in particular Judge your selves so far profited by the Word you hear as you can make good application of it to your own estate and condition Whensoever men come to hear the Word they come to hear somewhat that concerns themselves therefore whatsoever we say befals them that are in Christ apply it to your selves and make account this is my case if 〈◊〉 in Christ Fourthly hence we might note thus much also that When a man is in Christ there is a real change There is an evident change from what he was before he was in Christ For so the Apostle reasons now you are in Christ there is such a change as from death to life there is a marvellous great change in you If there be not this change in you neither are you in Christ and all the hopes you build on of being in Christ they are without a foundation they are upon an imaginary Christ not upon Christ that is yours indeed If you be in Christ let it appear in a change let us see how you are changed since you were in Christ from that you were before for this make account of conclude thus much for your selves that all that are in Christ are changed But fiftly and lastly he expresseth wherein this change confisteth and he makes choice of such terms as are most acquisite and sit for his purpose He would express this spiritual change and mark what expressions he useth to manifest it by no less then life and death There is such a change when you are once in Christ from what you were before as there is between a man that was dead and is now alive or a man that was alive and is now dead and this is that that I will infist now upon wherein note these particulars First the Analogy and proportion the aptness and fitness of the terms wherein the Apostle expresseth the spiritual change of those that are in Christ how sitly they may be said to be dead and alive Secondly it is observable in what order the Apostle expresseth these first dead and then alive Make account that the work of Grace in the effectual change in your hearts it proceeds in this order First you are dead and then alive dead to sin first and then alive to God Thirdly note the certain connexion of these two together so there is not onely a certainty in the object but a certainty
that is onely in the former part and most of all in the latter part only in the former part that straitneth and restratheth our hope most of all in the latter part that inlargeth our misery and so it may well for when the hope is restrained to the present there the misery may be infinitely inlarged But not for the present is our hope only for the present ergo c. I need say no more it is the Text. I shall raise to you six several Consectaries or Corrollaries or Conclusions that naturally arise out of this Scripture and I purpose at this time to run them all through it must be roundly it shall be plainly do you hear patiently The first Assertion we make out of the Text it is this that The faithful are hopeful The godly have hope we have hope that is taken for granted The second concerneth the object of this hope and the Point is this that Christ is the object of the Christians hope We have hope in Christ The third is touching the time of our hope and that is for this life the Lesson is this that The life-time it our hope-time We have hope in this life The fourth is that Hope in this life it is not onely of the things of this life Not only of this life for if in this life only we have hope oh no take that away our hope in this life is not onely set upon the things of this life If in this life onely not so Fistly this life you see how that standeth convertible with another term in the Text with misery shewing thus much that This life is miserable The last is that The faithful the hopeful they are not of all the most miserable they are not miserable at all Then were we miserable but the former being not true that cannot be true These are the six Points Of which to content my self with a touch of them as I pass along and so onely to present them severally unto you I begin with the first that The faithful they are hopeful We have hope so are the words Faith is the evidence of things hoped for so saith the Apostle Heb. 11.1 And they that have access through this Grace they rejoyce in hope of the glory of God they go joyned together Hope is a constant expectation of the performance of such promises of God as we apprehend out of his Word by faith For example Faith doth beleeve Gods promises to be true Hope doth expect the performance of them according to that truth By Faith we beleeve God to be our Father by Hope we expect that he should shew himself such a one to us By Faith we do beleeve eternal life by Hope we attend when this life shall be revealed Spe as one speaks what is it else but persever antia sidei the perseverance of Faith Faith is the Mother Hope is the Daughter the Mother is iucouraged and comforted by the daughter as Naomi was by Ruth Hence it is that the holy Apostle Saint Peter he ascribeth the salvation of our souls to our faith saying that the end of our faith is the salvation of our souls Well and Saint Paul he assureth the same to belong unto Hope saying we are saved by Hope So then Faith saith I beleeve these blessed promises of God to be true and Hope faith I see them and I wait for the enjoyment of those things that are reserved for me Thus Faith and Hope are woven one in another Thus the faithful are the hopeful We have Hope That 's the first Point The Use of this Point briefly it shall be but this First to teach us to seek and to find out this Hope in our selves And secondly to strive and to fight against some impediments that oppose themselves and are hindrances of this Hope First thou must go and seek thy self and search out and find whether thou hast this Hope in thee yea or no and thou must be sure that thou beest so far from being a desperate past-hope like Cain that rather thou beleeve and hope above hope with Abraham not presumiug but beleeving as he did Now then how a man may know whether he have this Hope in him or no I think he may find it out thus in few words There are divers temptations and especially three of a mans faith not to enlar ge my self further in every of which Hope if it come in and play its part then it doth appear to be present to be there As for example The first temptation that is a kind of battery against the strong hold of a mans faith it is the prorogation of Gods promises He is pleased to put them off longer and to dispose of them many times other waies then we look for Hereupon we that are weak in Faith we stumble at it and we would hasten them on apace though we know what the Prophet saith He that beleeveth maketh not hast But we are such faithless persons that we hasten on too much and would have God to come apace to make good his promises Now when God defers these promises if a man cometh in with his hope and faith The vision is yet for an appointed time though it tarry wait for that that shall come will come and he will not tarry and though the Lord doth hide himself as it is in the Prophesie of Isaiah yet he will return again If Hope will prompt Faith and tell it that the Lord is not slack as some count slackness but he will make sure his promise in the end then this is a manifest sign to a man that hath his faith thus supported that Hope is present there Here is then one search of it Another time there is another temptation that betideth a faithful man and that comes to pass by Gods appearing in a manner an enemy by visiting him in his soul by wounding his conscience by setting him in a kind of sight of Hell when he is distressed in spirit as if God were now come out as a man of War against him and would not have mercy upon him Now if Hope can come in and say that God cannot forget to be gracious nor cannot shut up his loving kindness in displeasure and therefore I will endure and I will stay on the Lord for He will appear and He will have mercy upon Zion I when the time the appointed time cometh I will stay this time If I say Hope thus perswadeth the faithful man of this goodness of God that shall be revealed to him here is a manifest sign Hope is present There is a third temptation that Faith meets withall and that is concerning the mockings of men in the World when they deride the profession of Christians and faithful men and will say as those profane and profuse fellows in the Epistle of Saint Peter Where is the promise of his coming it is so long since his promise was made
c. The meaning is this the Apostle stands not so much upon the placing of men but rather inveighs against the unseemly disposition of mens hearts that slighted Grace in the poor members of the body because they were not adorned with those outward ornaments that beautifie the body This thing the Lord calls a despising of the poor yee have despised the poor so that they did not walk as believers nor honour God in sincerity because instead of honouring God by a familiar society with the faithful they despised him in contemning his Graces for their outward poverty unto whom he had bestowed them not unlike to a phantastical offender whose pardon being seal'd and sent him by an unworthy person chose rather to die for his offence then accept of his pardon from the hands of an inferiour person Secondly the last Point is this that These servants of God of the Houshould of Faith being poor should especially be look't unto by those of the same house that are richâ—… above all other persons they are to respect those of the Houshould of Faith So David My goodness extendeth not to thee but to the Saints on earth The Apostle witnesseth of Philemon That he had refreshed the bowels of the Saints and had done good to them taking most especial notice of him because of his goodness extended towards them This is the duty And the Reason of it is because that for this intent hath God given riches unto some that have grace that so they might especially administer the confort that wealth brings with it unto those that are poor of the same houshold and profession of grace I say for this very reason God hath furnished some of his Elect with wealth and opportunities that above all other they might reserve a diligent care and respect towards others that share with them in the same Grace if they do not I am certain the world will not for of all other people those that fear God are the persons to whom they wish most unhappiness and shortest continuance of life in this World Therefore hath God given wealth to those that have Grace that they might minister a seasonable reliefe to others whose wants do call for it Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted and let the brother of high degree rejoyce in that he is made low what is the low bringing of the brother in high degree but that he becomes servant to him of low degree his wealth and revenews nay all that he enjoyes he confesseth to be for the service of the poorest Christian Then hath the brother of low degree occasion enough to rejoyce because the brother of high degree receives both exaltation wealth and preferment and all that he possesseth for his good And therefore beloved do not slightly pass by this necessary duty for it will require your serious consideration and your best ability to perform it Secondly the neer union and relation between one and another should be a strong obligation upon those that are rich especially to extend their care and estate to those of low degree having grace for they are brethren and there is a strong bond that combines them together having all the same Father to beget them they are begotten by the same Word of Truth they enjoy the same Mother the Church Jerusalem that is above is free and is the Mother of us all they are brethren together of the same Family And therefore beloved let men see and acknowledg this that whatsoever difference there is of Nation yet they are all of the same Houshold in this respect You see the Jews notwithstanding they were distinguished by Tribes yet they are all nominated together the House of Israel So all the people of God let their distinctions be never so distant in respect of wealth of natural birth of descent or outward ornament they are brethren of the same Family notwithstanding Beloved let us look to this Point we are all brethren and all of the same House Is it not a shame then when one brother is full to suffer another to die with famine and hunger for one of the same House to let his brother sinck under reproach and disgrace not offering his assistance or his hand to help him and prevent his extremity If this be the task and duty of Christians that they should especially look to them of the Houshold of Faith let the instruction stir up our endeavours to the performance of this duty and above all the affection we bear to others let the respect we bear to the people of God be advanced Saith our Saviour Christ when you come to a place ask who is worthy and I could heartily wish that you who intend any work of mercy out of the estate which the providence of God hath enabled you withal according to the command of this duty would propound the same rule unto your selves enquiring first who are worthy Bestow not your charity at randome as it is the manner of many such are in want and they look no further but enquire where you may be furnished with better directions who are worthy and who are of the houshold of Faith and inhabitants of the Family such you are to labour to find and having found them look to them And the more to incite you to this duty know that Christ calls for it and doth continually expect it He would have you especially to have an eye to his members I was hungry and you did not feed me he calls for it that gave you your wealth Neither doth he demand any thing that is not his own as David confesseth in his Provision for the Temple of thine own have I given thee so you may account of whatsoever Christ calls for if it be to your estate it came by his donation and he gave it you first If you bestow any gift on your Children you think you may reserve that power unto your selves to take it again at your pleasure and give it unto whom you list and shall not God be allowed that priviledge he that confers many liberal blessings on thee Sure thou art much in his debt and it argues too foul an ingratitude if he lend thee a Million and thou refusest to pay him a Mite Again if he call for it 't is not for thy loss that he requires it but will give thee better riches Ask of him and he will give you the holy Ghost nay the kingdome of Heaven and those are riches farr above the value of any substance thou enjoyest Ask of him and he will forgive your sins 10000. Talents whereas hedemands but one penny of thee I dare say he doth greater things for thee already then he desires for others Again consider what want you have of him that demands this He gives you dayly bread give us this day our dayly bread if you did nor receive dayly bread and a blessing on it from him you neither could have bread nor
represented to Saint Polycarpe and Saint Cyprian their passage per viam sanguineam The bloody way of martyrdome Policrape not many moneths before he was sacrificed for a whole burnt-offering to God dreamed that his bed was all on fire under him and Saint Cyprian saw in a Dream the Proconsul-give order to the Clerk of the Assizes to write down his sentence which was to have his head cut off with a Sword which when the Clerk by signs made known to Saint Cyprian the godly Bishop earnestly desired a little delay of the execution that he might set his house in order and the Clerk answered him in his dream that his petition was granted and so it sell out accordingly that that day 〈…〉 Dream this Saint of God closing first his own eyes 〈…〉 ceived a glorious crown of martyrdome in heaven The second thing I observed in the manner was that these 〈…〉 way of promise to Abraham whence Galvin rightly 〈…〉 life was a favour of God unto him not the purchase of his own merits 〈…〉 the fruit of his own care for although speaking in ordine 〈…〉 a man may be said by the observation of physick rules to prolong his dayes upon 〈…〉 did who was otherwise a man of a very crazie body and could not 〈…〉 have held out half so long yet if we speak simply 〈…〉 that as no man can by his care add a cubit to his stature nor an hour 〈…〉 the period set by God before all time for my times are in thy hands 〈◊〉 David and our dayes are determined faith Job the number of our months is with 〈◊〉 thou bast appointed man his bounds which he cannot pass Job 14.5 and 〈…〉 appointed time to man are not his dayes as the day 〈…〉 tree groweth not upon the head of any without 〈…〉 bloomed in a seasonable time If life be a blessing long life is a 〈…〉 specially if it be crowned with a happy death for the last Act maketh 〈…〉 medy or a Tragedy and as the evening proves the day so a man 〈…〉 and after over-run the verdict of his life Dicique beatus Ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet and so I fall into the road of my Text and begin to treat of the peaceable end of those who die in the faith and lie in the bosome of Abraham Go to thy fathers in peace There is a great difference about the interpretation of this phrase 〈…〉 and the reason of the difference is the difficulty which insueth upon every interpretation For if we refer these words to the body of Abraham and the 〈◊〉 thereof in the Sepulchres of his Fathers this Exposition complieth not with the truth of the story for none but Sarah lay in this cave Abrahams Fathers were 〈◊〉 where bestowed If we refer them to the soul of Abraham and illustrate them with this gloss Thou shalt go on in thy soul to the glorious troup of thy 〈…〉 then will grow what that place is whither his Fathers went before him 〈◊〉 Heaven but some of Abrahams Fathers were Idolatours and we have no warrant to place any Idolatour there Is it Hell thither no man goes in peace neither did ever yet any Jew or Christian so rub his forehead or rather arm it with brass as to affirm that the soul of Abraham in whom all generations of the earth were blessed was in Hell shall we then send him to the Rabbins Limbus or the Popish purgatory or the ancient Fathers occulta receptaâ—…ula hidden receptacles or unknown places wherein Tertullian conceiveth that the souls of the faithful departed resemble those among the Romans who stood for offices and the day of the election while the voyces were in calculation expected in a white gown whether they were chosen 〈…〉 Saint Austin also is very express for these hidden Cells from the death of 〈…〉 the last Resurrection the souls are bestowed in hiddeâ—… 〈…〉 as every 〈◊〉 worthy either rest or pain To dispel this mist which hath 〈◊〉 many to miss their way first by the light of the Scripture I will clear the 〈…〉 question and then interpret the phrase First then for the souls of the faithfuls flight 〈…〉 is free from this clog of flesh I answer that it is straight to Heaven 〈…〉 of the first born there and the spirits of just men made perfect for of 〈◊〉 who 〈…〉 that he might 〈◊〉 with God and of Elias who was carried up into Heaven in a fiery Chariot there is little doubt can be made and less of Abraham to whose besome in Heaven Lazarus was carried and least of all on the Thief to whom Christ promised on the Cross this day thou shall be with me in Paradise Why should Saint Paul so earnestly desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ if after his dissolution till the day of judgment he should not come near him nor see his face Why should all godly Christians be so willing to be absent from the body that they might be present with the Lord if after they were absent from the body they should not come into the Lords presence who dare question that which the Apostle so expresly and so considently delivers we know that if the house of our earthly tabernacle be dissolved we have an eternal in the Heavens As for the phrase thou shalt go to thy Fathers it is but an elegant circumlocution of the period of our life a quaver upon the close thereof for the meaning is thou shalt die or go the way of all flesh Quo pius AEneas quo dives Tullus Ancus Whither all thy Fathers went before thee good and bad rich and poor for Deaths sickle like the Italian Captaines sword which could not distinguish between a Guelf and Gibelive slaies all and makes a prey of all The righteous soul must for a time be divorced from the body as well as the soul of the wicked and in the graves the Worms claim kindred of the elect as well as of the reprobate the consideration whereof put the Preacher into a passion how doth the righteous man die as well as the wicked as it is said of Abraham that he is gathered to dis Fathers so it is said also of Ishmael and may be of the wickedest man that breaths And herein the language of Canaan and the lauguage of Ashdod do not much differ for what the Romans mean by that their phrase abijt ad plures he is gone to the many The Hebrews in a sanctified phrase express by abiit ad patres he is gone to his Fathers or gathered to his people whereof some interpreters give this acute reason It cannot be said of us here whilest we live that we are gathered to our own people in a spiritual sence because here good and bad are gathered together Elect and Reprobate sojourn together all are as it were joynt Comminers upon the earth the City of God and the City of the world sayl in the same ship to
telleth us that as the Spirit and the Bride say come so he that heareth saith come that is not only the Church of God that is now present here upon the face of the earth but the successive parts of the Church in all future Ages they are all of the same mind having received the same Spirit they all say come Whosoever heareth this Prophesie whosoever heareth of these promises in any Age or Country of the World all they having the same spirit they must needs say come he that heareth saith come he that is acquainted with the promises that cometh to the knowledge of them and doth mingle them with the faith of his soul this man must needs say come to the accomplishment of them And lastly He that is a thirst saith come too that is whosoever hath tasted of the sweetness of Christ in any measure whatsoever and thereby hath wrought in him a vehement thirst after more this man will say come Whosoever hath such a sense of Christ in his promises as to taste of the sweetness of these never so little as he that hath tasted a drop of hony wisheth for more so he that hath tasted of the sweetness of Christ a drop of his grace and mercy this setteth upon his spirit a heavenly thirst he saith come he would have more he is never quiet till he have the promise accomplished to him These are the persons every particular member of the Church that hath the Spirit the whole Church in general not only the particular part of the Church now in the World or in any Age but the several parts of the Church in several Ages whosoever is a thirst that hath tasted of Christ must needs say come Even so come Lord Jesus These are the persons The second thing is the matter of this acclamation of the Church First the matter contained in it it is a vehement and earnest desire of the people of God after Christs most happy return in these words Amen even so come Lord Jesus The matter of it therefore is either infolded and implicite in the word Amen even so or unfolded and explicite in the latter words Come Lord Jesus It is infolded I say in the word Amen This word signifieth in the Scripture either the Author of the truth himself or else it is an affirmation of the truth In the Revelation thus saith the Amen the faithful and true witness here Christ himself is called Amen because he is the Author of all truth and verity the faithful and true witness Sometime this word is used and most frequently in Scripture for the affirmation of the truth either witnessing of the truth or wishing the truth For the witnessing of the truth as in all those vehement speeches of our Lord and Saviour Christ Amen Amen I say unto ye or verily verily I say unto ye this is a vehement asseveration and a witnessing to the truth which a man ought to believe or would have to be believed Or otherwise for a wishing and earnest desiring of the truth to be accomplished So in the conclusion of the Lords prayer and all our prayers we add this word Amen that is so be it or Let it be so we wish it with earnestness of affection and desire and with a confidence and faith of our hearts we hope and believe that this shall be so This is that we profess when we say Amen In this place this word is used both for affirmation and witnessing of the truth and likewise it is a vehement wish and desire of the accomplishment of these promises with an earnest and certain hope and expectation of faith that all these promises and good things shall be accomplished to the soul of a Christian Again the matter of this Acclamation is unfolded and explained in the latter words Come Lord Jesus Where there is both the Action and the person to be considered The Action Come Christ cometh to his Church many wayes He cometh in his Word He cometh in his Spirit He cometh in his mercies He cometh in his Judgments and Justice None of these are here meant But he cometh to his Church in person and appearance even in the appearance of his body and humane nature Thus Christ cometh two wayes to his Church in person First in his Incarnation he appeareth to the world in the similitude of sinful flesh he came in humility he came to suffer to die That is not here meant for that was past when as the Evangelist Saint John wrote this prophesie But the Second coming in person of our Lord and Saviour Christ is his coming in the flesh in glory in exaltation to judge the quick and the dead to shew himself a mighty God from heaven This is the coming which is here meant Christs second coming to Judgment in glory That is the Action The person is described by these two Titles Lord Jesus Wherein the Church desireth that he may come both as a Lord and as a Jesus That he may come as a Lord to vindicate the Church and revenge him upon his enemies to destroy the kingdome of darkness the kingdome of the Devil the kingdome of Antichrist which hath been a great argument in this book of the Revelation And not only come thus as a Lord but as a Jesus to save his Church to vouchsafe to her comfort and peace and joy that he would come to cloath her with immortality and glory which she cannot expect on earth in a mortal state This is the sum and substance of this Petition and request that the Lord would come in majesty and glory both as a Lord against the enemies of the Church to destroy them utterly and as a Saviour to bestow upon the Church even all saving mercies especially that great mercy of everlasting blessedness that is not mixed with sin and corruption that is not mixed with any infirmity and defect whatsoever This is the sum and substance of the Text which I have in few words shortly explained to ye Whence the point I observe wherein we will insist by the grace of God at this time is this That it is the nature and property of every true member of the Church of God earnestly and longingly to desire the second coming of Christ for the full redemption of his Church The Spirit saith Come and the Bride saith Come and whosoever heareth saith Come whosoever is a thirst saith Come therefore every godly man that hath the Spirit of God that is a part of this Bride that is partaker of those promises that hath a caste of Jesus Christ every one of these must necessarily say Come Even so Come Lord Jesus This is so proper to believers and to every one of them as they are all of them described by this property in Scripture 2 Tim. 4.8 The Crown which the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not only to me but to all them that love his appearing The Apostle he might have said to all saints
how to live and how to die while we live let us desire of God so to steer our course as that we may lead the lives of holy and devout Christians We desire to live and have we no desire to live well what 's this life without godliness what is it to live and to have our hearts all the dayes of our lives void of grace and piety Life without grace is like beauty in a woman without discretion Pro. 11.22 Non est vivere sed valere vita It is no life but a living death alwayes to live and to want health and strength which sweetens life and makes it comfortable So it is no life a Christian leads where there is a want of piety in the heart What is this to live unless we know how to live well and to make a right use of our time We must consider wherefore we live even to improve our time to the best advantage for the saving of our Souls otherwise we live like Beasts not like Men not like Christians These silly brutes live in time but know not the time in which they live so careless Christians run out their time but know not how to make use of their time they consume their time but they do not increase it Like Bankrupts that waste their stock but never seek to improve it We make a decoction of our time as water is boil'd away from a fourth part to a third and from a third to half so we waste and consume our time till we have no time left even till we come to the last minute of life why then while we have time let us pray to God to teach us to use it aright to give us grace to consider the time we spend that we may make the best improvment of it and as Esan did Jacob hold time by the heel and not suffer it to slip from us without giving a good account to God that we have imployed that time and space of life which is allotted us here for the advancement of Gods glory and the purchasing of our own Salvation We proceed to the third particular that we go to God by prayer to teach us the right use of our time in a right manner So teach us that is Teach us so efficaciously so powerfully so constantly as that we may attain to the true wisdome and knowledg of saving of our Souls We must pray to God to teach us effectually Psal 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end We can know nothing of heaven unless the Spirit of God instruct us There is a great Light in us the Light of Nature and this light is enough to condemn us if we walk not according to this Light this Light of Knowledg imprinted by God in our hearts and by this Light all Heathens are condemn'd but this Light is not able to carry us half way to heaven The Light of Nature cannot save us but the light of Grace must bring us to the light of Glory Esther was fain to stand a loof off in the Court till the King reach'd forth his Golden Scepter to invite her nearer to him Nature only leads us to the outward Court of Heaven but Grace holds forth the Scepter to bring us into Heaven Nature like the faint heat of the Sun draws up the vapours but a little way it hath not strength enough to master our Corruptions but the heat and power of Gods grace is only able to dispel and vanquish them It is only the work of Gods Spirit to shew us the right way to Heaven and to guide us in that way All lies in the Grace of God and unless we are continually assisted and carryed on by his gracious Spirit we are never likely to come near the sight of Heaven We have indeed many helps and furtherances to carry us to heaven but none of these will avail us without God The word of God is constantly preach'd in our ears the Ministers of God are daily pressing us forward to heaven but what can the frail voice of man work upon the heart without the powerful influence of Gods holy Spirit We Ministers without God are but as Gehazi's staff laid upon the dead Child we are no wayes able to raise the Soul from the death of sin to the life of righteousness unless God first breath upon it and infuse the life of Grace into the dead heart of the sinner Let this teach us not to rest in our selves or any outward means for the purchasing of the joyes of heaven but place our whole trust and confidence in the living God What 's all the Light of Reason but darkness it self to bring us to the Light Everlasting All humane wisdome is but a false Light which will lead us in the end to the pit of destruction It is a good caution the Apostle gives us Col. 2.8 Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit If we follow the false Light of Reason it will deceive us and misguide us in our way to Heaven Natural Reason haply may see the heavenly Canaan afar off and have some stragling thoughts of the happiness of another world but it shal never be able to get possession of heaven The horns of this Altar shall never save any man that flies unto them As the light is hid under a bushel so nature is clouded and darkned with many mists of errour and cannot reach the sight of heaven In the second place let us fly to God by prayer that he would teach us effectually and shew us the right way to heaven Before we hear the Word of God let us fall upon our knees and beg of God to make it profitable and useful to our Souls What makes the word of God so ineffectual how come we to gain so little comfort by the preaching of the Word Is it not because we do not pray to God to open our hearts and make it useful to us that we may attend to the word of Truth and obtain Salvation by it The people before the Law was published to them were cleansed and sanctified by Moses to receive it Exod. 19.14 So ought we to Sanctifie our hearts by prayer and desire of God to purge our Souls of the many pollutions of our sins that we may gain a blessing by the Word of God and return with joy and comfort from the house of God It is prayer that makes the word of God profitable to our Souls it is like the Salt which Elisha threw into the waters to heal them So does prayer make the word of God beneficial to us and causeth us to relish the sweetness and comfort of it The heart is like that Book sealed with seven Seals which no man can open but God himself Therefore let us pray to God to open our hearts that we may receive instruction from the Word of God There is no man can teach us
Scriptures pretended for his conceit Apostolical Traditions and by reason of the venerable name of Antiquity it is not to be denyed but that some of the ancient Fathers received some tang of the same opinion from him as may be seen or collected of Justin Martyr and in the end of Trajans time Apollinarius Tertullian too much misled by Montane and Lactantius who were in part spiced with this Millenarisme so perilou a thing it proves to the Supine and out of a secure or careless disregard to suffer Humane Tradition to become a Diotrephes and to have the preheminence above the infallibity of the undoubted Scriptures which sacred and unerring written Word of God doth hold forth as of certaine credibility inspired by the Divine and first verity that can never deceive no such clear truth that the Lord Christ shall in Person before the General Resurrection come visibly and corporally upon the earth and as by a first resurrection cause all those who died in and for him to arise and with him in a peaceful tranquility and glory to reign and to beare sway over the wicked as Vassals for a thousand years which date of time being expired immediately shall ensue the General Resurrection and the day of the last Judgement No such evidential verity is demonstrated in Holy Writ as of Absolute Necessity to be believed unto salvation But whatsoever is alledged out of the propherick Scriptures for the stablishing of that opinion is to be understood either of the first coming of Christ in the flesh or of the state of the N.T. in general or else of the glorious estate of the Church triumphant to be expected hereaster in the eternal Kingdome for ever in Heaven as Gerard judiciously I have not time to alledge or you patience to hear on this occasion the several Texts cited by the Chiliasts or of the Orthodox many reverend and renowned Divines have eased us all of that labour let it suffice at the present to take notice from our Saviours own lips that his Kingdome is not of this world John 18.36 but within us Luke 17.21 and from Heaven and besides we find in our Creed which is founded on the Scriptures and may in every article thereof be proved by them we find I say in our Creed mention made but of two visible comings of Christ the first in Humility to suffer and to be judged the other at the end of the world but not before in the glory of his Father to judge the world both quick and dead in righteousness and unto them that look for him faith the great Apostle shall he appear the second time without sin that is without suffering any more as a sacrifice for sin unto salvation Heb. 8.28 Leaving then those Millenarian conjectures to such as abound with leisure rest we in the solid determination of Orthodox and stable judgements who resolve by the day and by the appearing here mentioned in this text to be meant the last great day of the general Judgement according to that Scripture Acts. 17.31 and the Lord Christ his second coming upon that day in glorious Majesty unto the judgment of all the world so that however those who labour in the Word and Doctrine meet often with so great discouragements that they seem to labour all in vain and spend their strength for nought as the Prophet speaks Isa 46.4 yet surely their Judgement is with the Lord and their work that is the reward of their work is with the Lord his goodness is laid up for them O how great Psal 31.19 In the mean time let it be our delight and contentment that we do our Masters work not as by constraint but willingly sith indeed such a vertuous service ever carryeth its own reward with it as being a thing to be desired and embraced for its own worth and certainly that sweet comfort and complacency that a righteous soul findeth in the sincere discharge of this duty within its proper station in conscience of God is infinitely more valuable than all the treasures the earth can afford without it only as the Husbandman we may not anticipate the season of the Harvest but we must wait and then in due time we shall reap if we fant not Gal. 6.9 Heb. 10.36.37 and when the reward actually cometh it being so large will abundantly recompence all our work yea end all our patience too sith the manner of it will be the more manifest and conspicuous before all in that great day when all of all sorts both great and small shall upon the general summons stand before the last Tribunal and then upon the appearance of the Chief Shepheard we shall raceive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 Hereof S. Paul had a particular assurance in his own person when he faith Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness and if for him why may it not be also possible for others to be in like manner assured of the same especially provided that we are such as do love his appearing This question I confess is solid yet such as wanteth not its intricacies The Roman Catholicks in this controversie are wont to resolve thus that indeed for so great a Saint as S. Paul was this assurance might be possible yea was attained to by Revelation extraordinary by means of his sides privilegiata his special and priviledged faith which as an Apostle and a chosen vessel of honour he was endowed and adorned withall from Heaven for that God had a great service for him to do who was selected as it were to take up the Gauntlet in the quarrel of the Gospel against the manifold fierce and potent Adversaries of the same so that as I said in the beginning to steel his resolution with the greater courage he was fortifyed before-hand and armed with an extraordinary assurance of a glorious reward after his work and warfaring therein was over But now whether this assurance be possible for an ordinary Christian by the use of ordinary lawful means to attain is the next disquisition To which the resolution is affirmative the thing is possible though confessedly very difficult and this possiblity is both Certitudine Objecti and also Certitudine Subjecti both as it is sure in its self as it is determin'd by God and likewise in the particular evident and special experience of the same in the soul of a true believer and this is proved partly from those Scriptures which exhort unto a diligent endeavour after it 2 Pet. 1.10.2 Cor. 13.5 Now the nature of Evangelicall precepts and exhortations in a contradistinction to those of the Law is that they carry a spirit a secert energy vertue and power with them inabling through grace unto observation therefore the Gospel is called life and spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 and I can do all things